


sacrifice

by Mayarene Rose (Paradise_of_Mary_Jane)



Series: Whumptober 2019 [1]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Character Death, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-01 13:04:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20815628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paradise_of_Mary_Jane/pseuds/Mayarene%20Rose
Summary: “Your hands are shaking,” Wally says.Dick grunts. His handsareshaking. They’re shaking pretty badly actually. It’s getting hard to type. And that’s not even mentioning the killer migraine he has. He doesn’t have time, he knows. His body’s gonna give out soon, and he’ll be discovered way before that happens. He doesn’t need Wally to tell him that.





	sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> For Whumptober Day 1: Shaky Hands

“Your hands are shaking,” Wally says.

Dick grunts. His hands _are _shaking. They’re shaking pretty badly actually. It’s getting hard to type. And that’s not even mentioning the killer migraine he has. He doesn’t have time, he knows. His body’s gonna give out soon, and he’ll be discovered way before that happens. He doesn’t need Wally to tell him that.

“You should get some rest,” Wally says, though it’s half hearted, at best. The collar around him is still blinking a bright red, no matter what Dick does to it short of actually destroying it, and he doesn’t have the tools to do that. He’s trying to make an electronic key for it, but it’s in an alien language and it’s not like Dick had a lot of time to figure it out how it works between the interrogations and all.

They didn’t take his gauntlets, weirdly enough. Maybe they just didn’t understand what it’s for. Or maybe they just want to give him false hope. Whatever the case, Dick’s not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. 

It’s been a week and neither of them can really hold out much longer, but Dick thinks he might have just cracked the collar. He cracked the door two days ago but he hadn’t told Wally. It didn’t mean shit if he didn’t get the collar to open.

“I’ve almost got it,” he says. “That thing’s gonna open soon, but you won’t have much time. Get ready to run.”

“Great!” Wally says. “About time. I’m getting sick of this place. You should probably come a little closer, though. In the interests of efficiency. I can’t carry you out of here if you’re way over there.”

Dick’s hands continue to shake. He doesn’t meet the speedster’s eyes.

Wally’s sitting on the far side of the room, back against the door. Dick’s on the other side. Wally’s spent the last hour retching intermittently, and drifting in and out of consciousness. He won’t tell Dick what they do to him in interrogation, but it always leaves him weaker and shakier. 

Wally has a great healing factor, though, which means he’s doing better than Dick, but only marginally. And he’s gonna do a lot better once Dick gets that collar off him. But they don’t have time to wait for him to heal up completely. They’ve got twenty minutes, at most, before they come again for another round of questions and beatings. It’s Dick’s turn this time. And even if it wasn’t, Wally isn’t gonna be there for them to hurt. Dick’s gonna make sure of that.

Ten minutes before they notice Dick cracked the code.

Wally’s gonna be strong enough to run out of here, once Dick opens the collar. He won’t be strong enough to take Dick with him.It’s unfortunate but it’s what needs to be done.

“Dick?” Wally’s voice is shaky. His false cheer’s slipping. Dick’s pretty impressed it even held up for so long. It’s been a week with no hope of rescue, by Dick’s count anyway. It’s hard to keep track of time there. “You’re kinda freaking me out here, dude. Just get over here. Maybe I can help things go faster.”

“Five minutes,” Dick says. “It’s gonna open in five minutes. Get up and get ready to run.”

He hears Wally struggling to get up. Dick’s staring at his holoscreen but he can feel Wally’s gaze burning through him.

“You should too,” Wally says, voice trembling. “Get up, Dick. We’re getting out of here together.”

Dick looks up. His hands keeps shaking but he’s not going to stop typing. Not now. Not when he’s so close.

“You’re not strong enough, Walls,” he says. “I can’t come with you.”

“Like hell I’m not!” Wally gets to his feet. Dick takes a moment to look up and see Wally glaring at him. “I’m not leaving you behind here!”

“You have to,” Dick says. He looks back down at the holoscreen. Partly because he can’t afford to stop and partly because he can’t stand the betrayal in those green eyes.

“They’re going to _kill _you.”

“I don’t think they’re gonna kill me right away,” Dick says, and it’s even the truth. From what he’s seen, these aliens are too sadistic for a quick death. If they’re gonna kill Dick, they’re going to make it slow and painful. “I have time. Get out, get help, come back for me.”

“Dick--”

“Just do what I say, Wally,” he says. Close. He’s so close. He can take a breath and look at Wally. Make him understand how important this is. Maybe convince him. “Either you get out now or we’re both trapped here for a really long time. You know I’m right.”

They’re at a standoff. Wally stares at him and Dick stares back. Dick’s hands are shaking and there’s no point in hiding it. He’s scared. He’s spent every single waking moment trying to think of a way that would get them both out, but well… He’s not that lucky, unfortunately. It’s fine. He can deal with it.

Wally looks away first. His hands are clenched into fists, entire body trembling with rage or grief.

Dick looks back at the holoscreen and taps a few more keys. He hears the collar open and fall to the ground with a clank. The door does, too.

“You have ten minutes tops before they notice,” he says. “Run.”

A flash of lightning. Wally’s suddenly in front of him, a hand on Dick’s hair and pressing their foreheads together. For a moment, Dick thinks that Wally’s going to do something stupid like attempt to carry Dick out of hear when he can barely stand, but then Wally says,

“I’m coming back for you, alright? I’m coming back.”

And then he’s gone in another flash of light, leaving the door swinging behind him. Dick closes his eyes. He lets out a shaky breath and slumps against the wall. He feels cold all over. It’s not just his hands shaking now. 

“You better,” he whispers to the empty room.

In the distance, he can hear his very angry captors running towards him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Can y'all believe I actually finished all my fics for whumptober?
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://acediscowlng.tumblr.com)!


End file.
